Midnight Revelations
by S-Bumblebee
Summary: Anya wakes up from a Nightmare and decides to go for a walk, who should she find but Marcus Fenix. A conversation and some Confessions ensue, can Marcus tell Anya how he feels?
1. Chapter 1

**Gears of War and its characters belong to Epic Game's studios **

**AN: I found this on my computer a little while ago and after some heavy editing I've decided to upload it. Hope you like it and please do let me know what you think and whether or not I've kept the characters in character :D Oh and by the way this is set sometime after the events of Anvil Gate.**

The halls of the Raven's Nest Carrier were silent except for the snoring and movement of the sleeping soldiers that resided within the rooms. Anya shifted in her sleep, since being on the frontline her sleeping pattern had gotten even worse; she didn't get a lot of sleep when she was working double shifts on the comms, now she slept even less with her dreams invaded by twisted monsters and the loss of the lives that surrounded her. She'd always had nightmares, but the nightmares she had now were far more vivid than the ones she had ever experienced when she was a CIC officer; there was a distinct difference between seeing death through a monitor and seeing it firsthand. When she saw death now she didn't just see it, she could feel it, could smell it, that musky copper smell that filled your nostrils and made you feel like you were suffocating. Through the monitors at her desk she just saw it, however she probably saw more of it than most, a squad would only see the death within their squad and those they were teamed with, she saw every death of every single one of the many squads she commanded and guided through enemy territory. She felt that every death attained by a squad was in part her fault, it was after all her job to guide them safely, either way she'd seen her fair share of death, and her unconscious always made to remind her.

Anya fidgeted again more abruptly, tossing and turning as her nightmare began to engulf her and then she jolted awake sitting up with urgency and scanning her eyes frantically around the quiet and near empty room, as she tried to reassure herself that she was indeed safe, at least as safe as she could be in the world that she lived in. Sighing quietly to herself she ran her fingers through her hair, then tugged frustrated at it as her fingers caught in the knots that had formed themselves as she had slept.

"Damn" she mumbled quietly as she finally got her fingers free from her enraged hair

She'd had it cut shorter a little while after she became a full time frontline gear, the shortness made it more manageable while she was in combat, besides that, she had felt like she needed a visual change to suit the change in her work. Looking towards the small analogue clock that sat smugly on the side table, she grimaced to herself as her eyes fell on the tiny numbers and her brain caught up and realised just how early it was. Rubbing her eyes with annoyance Anya edged towards the edge of the bed, dropping her legs out and over the side and shivering as her bare feet settled on the cold floor. Despite the seasons changing into warmers ones, the nights were still chilly and she suppressed another shiver as she completely left the warmth of her bed, standing up and breaking free of her blanket instantly regretting it as the cold seeped through her pyjamas.

Fumbling in the dark she managed to switch on a dim light and squinted as the light however low assaulted her eyes as they adjusted. Another sigh escaped her as she traipsed over to a neat pile of clean clothes, deciding on the way that she'd have a quick shower to try and wash the memories of what had woken her out of her mind.

'_Marcus?' she called as the darkness started to close in on her_

_She fumbled in the dark for her Lancer but couldn't find it, nor could she find the man she had called out for. She found it hard to concentrate and she stumbled, her ears were filled with many voices, Sergeants and squad NCOs requesting back up or pickups, pleading with her for the assistance they desperately needed, assistance she couldn't get to them. _

'_I can't help I'm sorry!' She yelled as she doubled over onto her knees, the palms of her hands pressing hard against her ears in a feeble attempt to block the voices from her hearing_

_She heard their voices grow still louder, heard that now the men and women pleading for help were now dying one by one as they begged for help, the locust closing in on them._

'_I'm so sorry' Anya sobbed as hot tears streamed down her face, then the voices were silent just as the lives they had belonged to._

_Anya remained on the floor sobbing, heartbroken that she couldn't get the assistance to those that desperately needed it._

_Suddenly the darkness that was around her shifted, changing shape as it did so and her heart rate quickened as she saw the shadow morph on the ground in front of her, she turned, fearful of what she might see and froze instantly as two yellow eyes met hers. She reached around behind her desperate to find her weapon, finally her fingers laced around the grip handle of her Lancer and she snatched it up aiming at the now revealed scaly humanoid creature that loomed over her menacingly. Firing with grim determination and fear she unloaded the entire clip of ammunition into it, she thought she had killed it, but its limbs mutated and stretched, its skin glowing with a golden luminescence. _

_She reloaded another clip and fired again empting it dry, hoping with all hope that the monster would meet its defeat, she had no ammo left. Finally it fell, though she was granted no relief she still had to find him, the darkness had lifted slightly and she found herself walking, searching, and hoping to find the person she was looking for._

'_Marcus?' There was still no answer so she called again this time for someone else she hoped to find, knowing that if she found him she would also find the other man she sought. _

'_Dom?...Marcus?' _

_She was getting worried now, would she ever find them? As if a pre-warning of what she might find the area around her darkened slightly, though not enough to stop her from seeing where she was walking. At last she saw what looked like figures, they were hard to make out because there was a grey fog about her but she reached the first figure. It was Dom; he was lying on his side in a pool of blood, her breath caught. He was dead. She knew it before she checked his pulse._

'_Dom? Oh God Dom' Then she realised something she didn't want to think about_

'_Marcus?' she called nervously into the gloom 'Marcus?'_

_There was no answer but as she turned where she knelt she saw the outline of another figure, almost unable to control herself she ran to him, she knew before she got there who it was. He was lying on his stomach he too surrounded by his own blood, and she couldn't see his face, so she rolled him over onto his back, praying that she was mistaken and it wasn't him after all. As he rolled onto his back her hands went to her mouth to conceal her gasp of horror, it was him, and like his best friend, he too was lifeless. _

'_M-Marcus...No...no...god...Marcus' One of her hands left her mouth to lie against his face 'M-Marcus' and without another word tears streamed down her cheeks as she cradled him in her arms shaking him gently as if he was merely asleep and would open his eyes at her encouragement. There was a sound behind her and instinctively she turned, she only caught a glimpse of movement but she knew what it was, it was the locust she thought she had killed earlier, it had come back, and she closed her eyes as death claimed her...as she knew it would._

**AN: Well that's the first chapter, I Italicised Anya's Nightmare just to make it a little clearer and to stand out from the main text. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Gears of War and its characters belong to Epic Game's studios **

**AN: This is quite a long chapter so apologies for that, enjoy anyway :D**

Anya stood in the middle of her room, now wearing a pair of Kaki coloured fatigues, laced boots, and a dark hooded jumper which she wore over her vest top. Both the jumper and vest had her surname branded on them with the COG symbol on the opposite side, and she mused to herself that even though the world was on the brink of collapse they still managed to label all of their clothes. Through habit she ran her fingers through her now brushed and calmed hair and thought for a few moments about what she was actually going to do at this ridiculously early hour of the morning, she knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. Mind running she reached out to the door handle and twisted it opening the door quietly and carefully, deciding that she'd make a visit to one of the rooms that had been set up for gears for use during their down time, there was quite a bit of that now they were all stationed on a floating fortress. _'Maybe I'll read a book or something'_ she shrugged to herself.

Eventually she found one of the rooms in question and opened the door quietly, careful not to wake any of the Gears in the rooms around her, she stopped mid way as she spotted a figure sitting on the couch opposite the door. Peering in she realised due to the few beams of light that the figure was actually Marcus. He was sitting almost centre on the couch, legs outstretched in front of him ankles crossed over one another, and an arm behind his head which lay tilted back. Anya didn't move from the doorway as she simply watched him, eyes trained on him and having a mind of their own as they always did when she saw him, they landed on his face, or at least what she could currently see of it due to it being tilted back as well as the infamous black bandanna that adorned his head, it seemed he was asleep.

He like her was wearing a hooded jumper though she noticed the zip of his remained undone, and she could see the grey vest he wore underneath, the vest itself was tucked into his belt which held up his black fatigues. Anya was about to shut the door again and wander somewhere else so as not to disturb him, knowing that he slept little as it was, but as she turned his voice emanated from where he sat and she fought down the instinct to yelp with surprise. She thought he had been asleep.

"Anya... What are you doing?"

"I...um..." she stumbled for words as the man sat up a little more in his seat and raised an inquisitive eyebrow

Anya didn't move from where she stood, and remained standing there looking as what she imagined to be an idiot as her cheeks flushed red, a combination of him scaring her and her embarrassment at not knowing what to say. Marcus glanced at the space on the chair next to him and tilted his head in an obvious invite for her to come and sit next to him. Turning with her back to him as she entered the room properly and closed the door behind her, she silently berated herself for the lack of word choice when he had spoken to her. Marcus sat in silence as he watched her turn towards him again and wander over to the sofa, he noticed her embarrassment which he found to be a bit amusing, though he didn't express as much, deep down he was really pleased to see her. Seating herself slowly in the space Marcus had indicated Anya sat a little further away than she really wanted from him, ever cautious of the boundaries Marcus had around him and her anxiety at breaching them. Bringing her knees up to her chest Anya sat back and glanced at the man who sat beside her, though his eyes remained set forward towards the door, and she wondered for an instant what the hell was so interesting about that door.

She caught herself then annoyed with herself as she realised her impatience for his lack of expression, it wasn't that she wanted him to open up to her and tell her every scrap of feeling he had inside of him, because she didn't. She just wanted to be able to have a conversation with him, wanted him to give her a bit of an indication as to what was really going on behind those unique eyes of his, sometimes she didn't want him to talk...sometimes she just wanted to tuck herself next to him without the fear of him pushing her away, uncomfortable with open displays of affection. She thought about that for a second longer, affection. Affection was what she wanted to give him, she wanted to comfort him, wanted to heal the hurt inside of him, hurt that she knew mostly involved his Father. Anya knew that Adam Fenix and Marcus had never really had a close relationship, but it seemed Marcus was continuingly discovering revelations about his Father that even he couldn't figure out and it pained her, even more so when she observed his valiant attempts at covering it up, it hurt her just a little that he felt he had to keep a front up with her, didn't he trust her?

Marcus turned to face her and she looked away quickly to try and cover up the fact that she'd been looking at him, though she realised he had probably turned in response to feeling her gaze upon him, and she mentally rolled her eyes at herself.

"Are you okay?" He asked casually

The sound of his voice pulled her out of her reverie as she berated herself yet again.

She tilted her head and met his eyes and glanced away again, those striking blue eyes were looking at her intensely and for some reason it had made her feel uncomfortable. Delaying her answer as she tried to think of something to say, she hadn't realised just how long she was taking to answer until Marcus called her by name.

"Anya..."

She shifted to get more comfortable before answering "I couldn't sleep" she said awkwardly

Marcus nodded slowly and to her surprise he kept on talking "Why?"

Anya glanced at his face again and saw that he had turned to face the door again at some point

"It doesn't matter" she answered not wanting to go into detail about her nightmares

"I think it does" Anya looked at him surprised for a moment, why was he being so persistent?

She let out an audible sigh to show him her small amount of impatience, she really didn't want to talk about it, and she felt stupid, she knew he had nightmares too, but the emotions that had been dragged into her slumber were difficult for her to confess with her present company even if it was something she really wanted to tell him.

"I had a nightmare" She said at last, shifting in her seat again so that she was at a right angle to his body, the toes of her boots almost touching his thigh and her back leaning against the arm of the sofa.

There was a low rumble from him as he lowered his arm from around the back of his head, and dropped it on the armrest on his side, his other hand rested on his knee.

"Me too" he rumbled in his throat

Anya bit back an urge to sit closer to him and decided to open her mouth instead

"Are you okay?" She asked worry evident in her tone

Marcus's eyes seemed to increase their focus on the door, Anya was sure he could probably see every detail in the wood, and with the intensity of his stare on it she wouldn't at all have been surprised if it burst into flames. All she could hear was his rhythmic and deep breathing, any other person would have thought he was just ignoring her, but knowing him as well as she did, she knew he was just searching for words, or figuring out if he really was okay.

"Guess so" He shrugged at last and he turned his face to hers again and was met with her sceptical and raised eyebrows, he sighed as he turned to face the door again, she knew him so well. "I don't know" he said after a pause.

She didn't know what to tell him, she didn't need to know the details of his nightmares to know that they were unsettling, she'd heard him restlessly sleep before, heard him yell sometimes sounding like a wild animal, other times crashes and thuds as he thrashed in his sleep knocking things off of the table. Many times she had wanted to go and wake him, wrap her arms around him and try and comfort him, but it was something she didn't think he would want. This was an occasion when she wondered what they had done to him in prison, and how he had attained the scar that dominated his face, she had no doubt that whatever atrocities had happened in that hell hole, made up at least half the things that grated at his soul... maybe even more than half. She was still searching for words, when Marcus fidgeted and stretched his arm across the back of the chair with his hand inches away from her head.

For a crazy moment Anya was convinced that it was an undisputed invite for her to sit closer, though her brain started to argue with her, she'd seen him sit like that more often than not, he always had his arm across the back of a seat or leaning on a wall or something. Mentally Anya beat back these rational thoughts, she didn't know what to say to him so she decided she would just sit closer to him and try and make him understand that she was there for him whether he wanted to talk to her or not, it was an opportunity she had a hard time passing up. Before her brain could regroup and argue against it further she shifted her feet towards the edge of the chair and shifted in order to sit directly beside him, eventually leaning against his side, her body fitting easily against the shape of his torso and under his arm.

As she had expected he had tensed up, and she was regretting her decision immediately now that she actually thought about what she was doing and realising it was too late to take the motion back. In an attempt to protect herself from what she expected would be Marcus pushing her away and walking out with some feeble excuse that he had to do something, embarrassed at the sudden physical contact; she drew her knees closer to herself and wrapped her arms around them hugging them. He hadn't moved and the silence and waiting for his response was driving her insane.

"Anya..."

She hadn't given him a chance to continue before she practically jumped back to where she had been sitting "Sorry Marcus, I..."

Marcus looked at her startled, eyebrows raised and eyes searching hers trying to figure out why she had just thrown herself as far away from him as physically possible. Anya just looked down at the floor looking uncomfortable and maybe even a little hurt.

"What are you sorry for?" He asked astonished as it finally registered that she had apologised to him as she had launched away from him.

"I..." She fiddled with her sleeves before looking up into his face "Didn't think you wanted me that close..." she said quietly

She didn't dare look at him after that, she was desperately fearful that she really had over stepped the mark and invaded his space, then she heard his voice low and soothing

"It's okay Anya, you're fine" She looked up cautiously, pushing a few stray strands of her hair out of her face as she did, she must of looked nervous because he smiled, it was a small smile and she didn't see it very often, though it was enough to put her at ease if only a little. Marcus shifted his arm a little and tentatively she returned to his side, leaning up against his warm body, knees leaning against his thigh as she gingerly put her head on his chest. Anya noticed he seemed a bit more relaxed this time, she could feel his breathing through his chest and it seemed steady and relaxed. Feeling the rhythm of his chest her thoughts calmed down slightly, in doing so she realised that if he hadn't started talking to tell her to move or something along those lines...then what had he been about to say?

"Marcus?" Her voice was still quiet

"Mmm?"

"What were you going to say?"

She didn't get an answer straight away, in truth she wasn't even expecting to get an answer at all, but after some delay he did offer her one

"It doesn't matter"

She laughed a little then and echoing what he had said to her not ten minutes ago, light heartedly she spoke again

"I think it does"

Marcus turned his head so he could see her face by his chest as she had looked up, and she noticed that his expression had softened somewhat

"Just wanted to make sure you're okay"

She turned sideways so she could see him clearer. Propping an elbow against the side of the chair she looked into that mysterious face of his

"I'm fine Marcus...honest"

"Uh huh" he nodded apprehensively

"I am" She said trying to be convincing but failing

Marcus leaned a little closer to her speaking with his voice a low rumble that sent tingles up her spine

"No you're not...I know you... what's wrong?"

Anya blurrily focused on his eyes, any other time and she would have been happy to lose herself in their bright blue depths, but right now she was wrestling with her emotions and the raw memory of her nightmare. Marcus just kept his gaze on her, even when she fidgeted and moved away from him sitting with her back against the sofa and folding her legs. She found the floor of great interest as she gazed on it to draw her eyes from his.

"I...I'm Scared Marcus" She whispered quietly before she could stop herself. She couldn't seem to keep her mouth shut today; maybe everything was starting to get to her now? The loss of Vectes, the Lambent invasion, the destruction of the peace they had all thought they had finally attained...then amongst that were her fears of losing the people closest to her.

Marcus didn't move the room was silent except for their breathing and the low rumble of the waves that rocked against the hulls of the Raven's Nest carrier. Anya began fiddling with her sleeves again, anything to distract from the silence that had now fallen so loudly between them, she felt stupid about what she had said, and he still hadn't said anything.

"We're safe at the moment, as safe as we can be" He answered her at last though now choosing to avoid her eyes, there was more to this, he knew it, he just wasn't sure if he was ready for it yet.

Anya was a little frustrated at this response, he had purposefully avoided the possibility that there could be deeper issues to her fears, and there were. She wasn't just scared about the future of Sera or lack of at the current time, she had always been scared of not being able to help those that needed her when she worked on the comms, but she was also scared of losing him, her nightmare had played on that and had viciously reminded her of the depth of her feelings for him. Marcus was everything to her he along with Dom was all she had left...she wasn't sure what she would do if she lost him, she'd thought she had before when he had been sent to prison, she thought he had died there.

"It's not just that...I..." She started, wanting to tell him how she felt about him, but he already knew as much, she'd basically said it outright to him at Port Farrel, after they had evacuated Jacinto, but she didn't know how he would react if she fully admitted it, but she was starting to have a hard time forcing it down.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye to see him eyeing the door again

"What is it Anya?" He asked quietly taking care not to look at her still, knowing she was probably going to drop a bombshell of emotion on him, they had been working up to this for a while...steadily getting closer and closer to each other since the Lightmass bombing.

She could feel tears starting to gather themselves at her eyes as she remembered finding his lifeless form in her nightmare ravaged sleep, she blinked a few times and the tears retreated. Her heart felt heavy as she looked at the man beside her, how did he feel about her? He hadn't really answered her before at Port Farrel; he might not have those feelings for her... but she couldn't keep it inside anymore, she had to say something...she couldn't stop herself.

"I'm scared of...of losing you, I..." She sighed breathing in heavily "...I love you Marcus..." No sooner were these words out of her mouth than she turned from him, sitting sideways so her side was against the back of the sofa and her back was to Marcus, she couldn't bear to look at him now, to see the look on his face. Why had she even said that? The words seemed to have jumped out of her mouth and knowing Marcus as well as she knew him, he probably wasn't the slightest happy or comfortable with her sudden revelation, she almost felt ashamed. She was pondering on the idea of leaving the small room and taking the time to avoid him as much as possible, when she felt something behind her. Marcus had shifted somewhere behind her, she supposed he was getting up to leave...she couldn't blame him, but it hurt her and it was her fault. However Marcus hadn't got up after a few moments had passed, and Anya was surprised as one of his hands appeared over her shoulder grasping a small folded piece of paper. The paper itself had been folded and re-folded many times and was clearly quite old, without a word he offered her the paper which she accepted nervously, and he leaned away from her, returning back to his original place on the sofa.

Marcus waited knowing she would unfold the paper and look upon its contents; it was easier this way he realised to himself, there were things on that small piece of paper that could tell her things he couldn't say, things he wanted to say so desperately, things that because of her revelation he had to say. While he thought about the paper she was now unfolding, he remembered when he had first seen it, back then it had been in an envelope.

**AN: I wasn't sure about Anya revealing how she felt about Marcus as outspoken as she has, but I've decided to put it down to the fact that these people have gone through so much with the war, and their last hope of peace has been snatched away from them that they are just reaching breaking point, and can't bottle it all up any more. That's my reasoning anyway. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Gears of War and its characters belong to Epic Game's studios **

**AN: This is completely Marcus's Memory of an occasion in Prison, there is no information on what he went through in prison, this is solely my interpretation. Also a pre-warning there is some language in this, and its another long chapter. **

The cell was cold as always, the steel walls doing nothing to protect its prisoner from the cold outside, it almost seemed as if the cell was mocking him, the iron barred window allowing as much cold air into the steel box as possible.

Marcus was sitting in the corner legs and arms folded with the back of his head pressing against the corner behind him. Shadows moved over the inside of the cell as one of the guards walked past his cell door, there was a tiny open square near the top which was the only means of hearing or seeing what was going on outside of his cell. Aside from the barred window and the panel in the door, there were also iron grills above him in the ceiling, an insurance to make sure he actually had adequate oxygen as there weren't many openings. Marcus had strategically placed himself in the corner furthest from these grills in the ceiling, currently there was a wretch there clawing and gnawing at the bars. It wasn't that he was afraid of the wretch because he wasn't, it just put him on edge, if it ever did manage to get into the cell he wouldn't have any means to defend himself, his cell was bare save for his cot and toilet. It made him anxious, not helped by the knowledge that if it did get in and he couldn't defend himself, the guards probably wouldn't do anything to help, in fact they would probably just use it as some rare entertainment, most likely placing bets on how long he would last.

The guard that had walked past earlier had come back, Marcus heard him speak

"The Grunt in there has gotten another letter"

Another man spoke "What do you mean another? No one in here gets a letter, let alone letters"

The first man spoke again "This one is always getting letters, didn't you know that?"

"No, I used to guard the East Cell block, I'm new at this one, Remember?"

Marcus was listening carefully, the second man was younger and he wasn't lying, he was new, Marcus had heard that the East block had become completely over run with locust, the guards had locked it all up leaving the few surviving inmates in there with the locust, he hated to think of what might have become of them in there. The first man who had spoken Marcus knew well, he had taken a beating from him a few times for no particular reason, again there wasn't a regular source of entertainment here, so the guards made their own. The first man was speaking again.

"Oh yeah, I forgot...Well grunt here" He jabbed his thumb at the door of Marcus's cell "Gets letters regularly, course we haven't given him many, maybe one...think it was the first one he got...you know back when we used to follow regulations"

The second guard sniggered at that before the first carried on speaking

"Besides...we found it was much more fun to read them ourselves"

The second man laughed again "Interesting are they?"

"You could say that" The original guard laughed now "Most of them are from an Anya Stroud who works in the COG, got a soft spot for our grunt here" The guard peered through the slot in Marcus's door knowing full well Marcus could hear every word.

"Can't imagine why" The guard leered "Don't know why she bothers keeping her hopes up, everyone knows that prisoners here have a very limited life span, silly cow"

Marcus clenched his fists, he remembered the first letter he had gotten from her, the only one he had seen so far, he'd tried to keep it but his cell had gotten ransacked by the guards whilst another had beaten him, he couldn't remember what he had done wrong on that occasion...maybe he had lost his temper over something. While the guard continued to leer and jest at him about Anya's letters, the content of which Marcus only had a slight indication of, he forced himself to stay calm, if he said something out of place they would probably beat him...again, if he was lucky...a week and a half ago they had smashed his back repeatedly with some sort of beam, it had broken the skin on his back leaving sore lines as well as heavy bruising that he could still feel even now, he didn't want a repeat of that. He had learnt by now that losing his temper with the guards got him nothing but more pain, and he was slowly conditioning himself to be less expressive...in the slab, aside from anger and pain, what else was there to express?

"You know grunt...maybe I'll be nice to you today and give you your letter, how about that?" and then the guard threw the enveloped letter through the door's slot closely followed by a small thin object which bounced against the wall behind his head.

"I'll even lend you a pen so you can write to her and tell her what a good time you're having" It was just another form of mocking, then the guard and his new comrade left.

Marcus knew he had only been given the letter because he hadn't been rising to the guard's taunts, the guard had worn tired of the un-reactive disgraced soldier and couldn't even be bothered to read the letter himself, they contained the same sorts of things.

Once the guard left Marcus turned the envelope over in his hands looking carefully at the handwriting on the front, it was definitely Anya's he'd recognise it anywhere. Slowly he turned the envelope over again and slid his finger under the seal sliding it along carefully and quietly in order to open it. Marcus caught his breath slightly, he wasn't sure what it was, it was like an anticipation almost an excitement, whatever it was it lifted his spirits if only slightly. Tentatively he unfolded the crisp paper within and flattened the paper against his knee, glancing over the paper in short, savouring the knowledge that it held writing from one of the people he missed more than anything, the other was Dom, but he hadn't received any letters from him as yet, but he guessed he had but hadn't been granted the privilege of reading them. His eyes fell to the first neatly written words and he felt his heart skip a beat, maybe it was because it was the first piece of outside contact he had had in a long time...or maybe it was something else. It was something he couldn't explain.

_Dear Marcus, _

_I hope you're okay...well as okay as you can be where you are, I haven't heard from you but I've kept writing just in case you are getting these letters and they are just not letting you write back. I really do hope you're okay though. _

_Not much has changed from my last letter, the locust are still pushing forward and moving closer to Jacinto, they are still a long distance from us but it's still worrying none the less. We've had a few close calls though, the last few days at CIC have been the worst I've had in a long time, we've lost so many Gears in this one week. I can still see some of their faces, there is just so much death and grief sometimes I feel like that's all there is. I can feel it building up like darkness around me, ready to suffocate me if I let my guard down. _

_I've been worrying about Dom a lot lately too, he is currently assigned somewhere near Montevado with Delta squad, Lieutenant Kim is their squad NCO so they should be okay, Kim's a by the rule book soldier, but it's just so dangerous out there now. We still haven't found Maria yet, I keep searching up all of the leads with her description but no luck yet, it breaks my heart to have to tell him another lead has gone dry. I wish you were still here Marcus; Dom needs you more than ever...I need you too. I keep thinking about the last time I saw you before everything that happened, I still remember what we were talking about - every last word of it, sometimes it replays in my head when I can't sleep. I miss you so much Marcus, sometimes with everything that's happening I wish you were here just so that I could talk to you. I still wish that you would've let me visit you, at least then I'd know if you're okay, I hate knowing that I might not ever see you again and the fact I don't even know if you're alive to read this. It hurts and sometimes I want to just forget so that it will stop but I can't because you mean so much to me...and... I don't want to forget you._

_I'll write again soon_

_With Love_

_Anya x _

Marcus finished reading and stared at the paper, he even read it a few more times though he found he always lingered on the last paragraph. He ground his teeth together as he realised what he had been feeling before he had read the letter, it had only increased in intensity as he had read onwards, it was what could only be described as an excitement of sorts, a fluttering in his stomach. He gripped the paper hard in his hands realising that this woman clearly felt something for him and knowing that he felt something for her too, it was something he had tried to ignore...something he wasn't sure how to deal with. He would never see her again, he had another thirty eight years to serve, he'd be lucky if Sera hadn't burned to ashes by then, let alone still be alive. For a few moments Marcus shut his eyes he was calling on his memories, the few he liked to remember the ones he tried to remember each night before he fell asleep. He could see her in his mind's eye, platinum blonde hair to her shoulders, though she mostly tied it up when she was working, she had bright sea green coloured eyes, the sort of eye colour he didn't see in others very often then for the briefest of moments he remembered her smile and the sound of her voice. He remembered what she had written in the letter and he tried to recall their last conversation, after some pondering he remembered and he allowed himself to replay the memory to the best of his knowledge.

Marcus woke a few hours later, someone was screaming at the top of their lungs, it almost sounded as if someone was being murdered, though Marcus didn't dismiss the idea. He sat up and found that he was still holding Anya's letter, he must've fallen asleep with it clutched in his fingers, he folded it up carefully, wincing slightly as the screams got louder and louder, they were bringing which ever prisoner it was down towards his cell, most probably taking the prisoner to one of the rooms across from Marcus's, the worst shit happened in those rooms...Marcus knew that from experience. Beatings were nothing compared to what they did to you in there, sometimes he couldn't move for hours after coming back from a session in there, too groggy and too unconscious. Quickly he got up and tucked the folded paper and envelope under the thin mattress of his cot and sat down mindful of where the wretch would normally be gnawing above his head. The Screams were louder than ever as the guards dragged the protesting prisoner past Marcus's cell, the guard stopped by the door looking Marcus directly in the eyes before speaking.

"So how's your whore?" he asked venomously

Marcus didn't know what came over him but he got up from the cot and strode to the door and before his brain had kicked in to tell him to sit down and shut up in order to stay out of trouble, he smashed his fist against the wall of his cell beside the door, not even wincing as the impact instantly bruised his knuckles.

"F*** You!" He yelled rage boiling within him and distorting what was going on around him

The guard sneered at him "Once I'm done with this ass hole, I'm coming back to deal with you and you're shitty manners" Then the guard left dragging the now silenced prisoner who had been knocked out by a blow to the back of the head.

Marcus remained where he stood still seething from the guard's comment, how dare he say something like that about Anya. He knew he didn't have much time before the guard came back but he knew he was going to be in for a bad time so in case they trashed his room again he grabbed Anya's letter from under his mattress and took his shoe off. He put the folded letter in his shoe, putting it back on and lacing what remained of the laces up tight to prevent it from coming undone. Then he seated himself back on the cot and waited, the wretch was there now, and he could feel an anxiety in his chest...what were they going to do with him this time? He knew they wouldn't kill him, the prisoners were too much entertainment, Marcus was... especially given his Embry star history.

An hour passed and Marcus was still waiting on his cot when he heard a sound he hadn't heard for a while, it was a dog barking. He shifted uncomfortably as the barking dog grew louder and closer and Marcus guessed the dog was probably being brought for him, he had no way to defend himself and he did have a sense of fear, a fear for his preservation, he wasn't ready to die yet, not in this shit hole.

The door of his cell opened and the dog reared up ramming its head through the small space that had been made, it was still on a leash, though not for much longer.

"This is what happens when you lose your temper in here Grunt" The guard said as he marched past the other guard who was struggling to hold the snapping and salivating dog.

The guard reached him and grabbed a fist full of Marcus's now longish black hair, Marcus attempted to fight free but he was malnourished and half of his weight and couldn't escape. The guard sneered as he forced Marcus off the cot and down onto the floor kneeing him hard in the gut as he did so knocking the wind out of Marcus, teasing a sharp pain out of his already bruised ribs. As Marcus clutched his stomach and breathed heavily remaining in his doubled over kneeling position, the guard kicked him hard in the side knocking Marcus over revealing his sore pre-beaten chest and ribs to the sadistic guard. Trying to get up Marcus attempted to clamber back onto his knees but the guard kicked hard again, steel toe capped boot hitting hard against Marcus's ribs and forcing a yelp of pain out of the weakened prisoner. The guard laughed loudly and turned to the other guard who was still struggling with the vicious dog that accompanied them.

"Let him go"

The massive, muscular and enraged dog which had probably been beaten or egged on in some fashion by the guards, lunged into his cell with the door slamming shut behind it. Marcus instinctively made to get up despite the agony in his side, but the dog had taken to the air jumping with strong legs and landing against Marcus's chest pushing him back and onto the floor. Landing heavily Marcus pushed his hands up under the dogs head trying to keep those dangerously long teeth away from him, but the dog snapped its head to one side knocking aside Marcus's clumsy hands. Before Marcus could roll or try and get the savaging dog off of him it grabbed at his face, he felt the teeth catch against the skin on the right hand side of his face, instinct was the only thing driving Marcus now, the adrenaline was controlling his body as he pushed with all his strength against the dog, its teeth tearing his skin right down to his mouth before he finally kicked it away. No sooner was it off than it was coming back for him and Marcus crawled disoriented backwards towards the wall shielding his bloodied face as the dog came for him a second time. Though the cell door was once again open and the guard had grabbed the dog by its collar yanking it away, dragging it from the cell and slamming the door behind him, not another word was spoken, the message had been given loud and clear, Marcus wouldn't be having anymore outbursts any time soon.

He was trembling, the adrenaline had worn off now and he could fully feel the pain, the right side of his face burned and it was bleeding heavily, the cuts weren't particularly wide or deep but he knew they would scar, as would his lip which had a cut straight through it as well, breathing was hurting as well due to the attacks on his chest and side. Shaking he edged towards the corner, the wretch was there again and for the first time Marcus felt almost afraid, he wasn't sure how much more of this he could take how much more pain he could handle, he didn't want to give in, didn't want to give the guards the satisfaction, but he was still in shock from the dog attack and he was fearful of the wretch clanging away above his head, he wouldn't stand a chance if it got through right now.

Suddenly he remembered Anya's letter and he fumbled as he untied his shoe to retrieve it, carefully he read it again and turned it over, he wanted to talk to her and this was the closest he was going to get, he couldn't send a letter, he knew she'd never get it. He found the pen that had been thrown at him yesterday and he pressed the paper against his knees and started writing, not bothering to wipe the blood from his face even though it was running down his chin and dripping onto the paper he was writing on.

_Dear Anya,_

_I don't know how much longer I can stay here; the prisoners here are just entertainment for the guards, there's just so much pain, it's all I ever feel, and when it stops...something else happens that brings it all back again._

_I'm sorry for everything, sorry for leaving you and Dom, I'm sure he will be okay in Montevado and wherever he is assigned, I hope that Maria is found soon though, she means everything to him, I'm sure a strong lead will turn up soon. I want you to know Anya that you mean so much to me too, I wanted to tell you so many times but I could never find the words, words have never been a strength of mine, I just wish that I had found them, now I'll never be able to tell you and I don't know if I'll ever see you again either. I didn't want you to visit me here...it's just not somewhere I would want you to have to go to, no matter how much I want to see you. I'm so sorry for hurting you it's the last thing I wanted. _

_Love_

_Marcus _

He couldn't write anymore, his hands were shaking too much and he was getting blood all over the paper, he couldn't bring himself to write about what had just happened his mind was still trying to process it. However he wrote down the main thing that was crashing against his walls, he wrote how he felt about her, a recently clear emotion that he couldn't accept until he wrote it down on paper and owned up to it. Though it hurt him knowing that she would never know, it was all too late. At last he fell asleep a combination of shock, blood loss and exhaustion.

**AN: Okay, two things, I really wasn't sure about how to write the letters, especially Anya's I had some real trouble writing that, plus I know that Marcus doesn't really open up in terms of emotion, but I think that due to the amount of pain and fear he is dealing with in prison, that it just might have pushed him to break a little, that's just my interpretation though. Secondly about the dog, I've noticed from the books that Marcus isn't particularly fond of Dogs, I've just slipped this in as perhaps a reason for that. Again I don't know what happened to him in prison these are completely my own thoughts on the matter. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Gears of War and its characters belong to Epic Game's studios **

**AN: And now the conclusion, truth be told I'm not 100% happy with this chapter but I think it works well with the previous ones.**

Anya unfolded the piece of paper Marcus had given her, there was writing on both sides and the first side that she saw clearly beheld her own handwriting. Involuntarily she raised her eyebrows in surprise and scan read the writing deciphering and remembering what she had written in this particular letter, she remembered well because it had been one of the worst weeks she had ever had at the Comms, they had lost so many Gears that week and she had cried herself to sleep some nights.

Gingerly Anya turned the paper over and looked on the other side, there was writing there as she had earlier suspected and even though it was wobbly and untidy and sometimes obscured by blood, she could still tell that it was Marcus's hand. The amount of blood that covered the paper concerned her though as she glanced over it before attempting to read it, inwardly she was both nervous and anxious as to what she might discover; it obviously held some significance otherwise Marcus wouldn't have given it to her at this moment. Carefully Anya read the writing and she felt the tears she had pushed back earlier amount a new attack on her eyes, this time she couldn't keep them at bay as she caught her breath and they began to roll silently down her cheeks.

She shifted in her seat so that her back was once again leaning against the back of the sofa and she was now able to look at Marcus again, he was still sitting besides her. Marcus turned his head in response to her movement and looked at her with an emotion she hadn't seen before at least not for a very long time.

Before she could say anything Marcus ran his thumb over her cheek wiping away the tears that were running down it, he sat back after and just looked at her carefully, every now and then eyes flickering to the letter she held in her hand as if he was expecting it to explode.

"Marcus...I never knew that this was how you felt...I didn't even know if you were still alive...I found myself writing more and more about the things I had always wanted to tell you" She said quietly though avoiding his eyes a little unsure at how to continue.

"I've never been very good at expression" He shook his head unhappy with himself

Anya wriggled and sat a little closer to him noticing how his breath caught a little as she moved next to him as if he was surprised that she would still want to be near him. She sighed quietly as she ran her eyes over the letter again; her heart fluttered against her chest as she read his words again, that she meant everything to him, and that he had wanted to tell her but couldn't find the words. Another part of her hurt knowing that he had gone through so much pain while he had been incarcerated; it drew her attention back to the blood. Looking at the paper overall really seeing for the first time just how much blood was there, she had to ask him.

"Marcus?" her voice was almost a whisper

"Yeah?" He asked quietly voice rumbling

"Where did all of this blood come from?" She asked looking up into his face with evident worry; her imagination was already coming up with horrific injuries that could have been the source of the blood.

Marcus had been waiting for this question "That day wasn't a good day" He said looking at her carefully, and he lingered on her eyes before he put his hand to his face tracing the pitted scar of his right cheek, indicating to her that the wound he had attained there had been responsible for the blood that now adorned the letter.

Anya looked carefully at the heavy scar on his face as he lowered his hand, she wanted to ask how he had gotten it but thought better of it, it had been a few years since he had been broken out of prison and he still hadn't spoken about it, it was unlikely he would want to now. She couldn't restrain herself any longer though, not now that she knew how he felt, she'd had this urge before, back at Port Farrel but she had ignored it. Slowly Anya lifted her hand to his face, and Marcus tensed suspicious about what she was doing, her fingers reached his temple and she slowly traced along the lines of the scar, all of her attention on its progress down his face. She realised from the sensation that the scar was ragged and the deepness of the wound changed as it progressed towards his jaw. She looked up at Marcus but he had shut his eyes and she smiled a little, then she noticed that the scar split off from the main wound to cut across his mouth. Still with caution Anya traced the scar to his mouth, leaving her fingers to rest against his lips.

She noticed that his breath caught slightly and she looked tentatively at his eyes expecting them to be open and expecting that despite their revelations to one another, that he might push her away. He didn't though and he hadn't opened his eyes so she decided to chance the action she wanted, hopeful that it wouldn't startle him too much or upset him. Carefully she leant a little closer and removed her fingers from his mouth, trailing them down his chin before she put her lips to his in a soft kiss. Anya held the contact for a few moments before she withdrew from him to find that he opened his eyes slowly.

Marcus looked at her with a frustratingly unreadable expression and Anya returned to her seat beside him unsure as to whether or not she had gone too far, folding the letter he had given her she held it out to him to take back. Marcus obliged and took the letter from her returning it to which ever pocket he had removed it from; though once he had done this he put an arm around her waist and his other under her knees where they reached the edge of the sofa. He lifted her up and she gasped a little in surprise at being picked up, and he sat her sideways on his lap so that her bent knees were below his elbow on his right, while his other arm was around her waist. Anya gave him a questioning look and was about to ask him what he thought he was doing when he pressed his mouth against hers and she instinctively put her arms around his neck and shoulders, kissing him back. He held her closer and she played with the knot of his bandanna before he withdrew from her, giving her a small smirk.

Before she could say anything he spoke to her "You'd better get some sleep, still a while before breakfast"

"I'm fine...I'm used to not sleeping much" She answered leaning her head against his shoulder

Without any warning at all Marcus fidgeted so that he had turned completely sideways and had his back leaning against the arm of the chair, he then shifted Anya off of his lap so that she lay next to him on her side with her back to him and facing the door. He then lowered himself down so that he was lying beside her with his back against the back of the chair.

"Now, get some sleep" He said firmly while wrapping an arm around her waist and tucking his face against the back of her neck, able to smell the light fragrance of her hair.

"Guess I don't have much choice now" she mused taking his hand in hers "Goodnight Marcus" She whispered

"Anya?" His voice was low and soft as he relaxed behind her

"Yes?" She asked stifling a yawn, maybe she really did need to get some more sleep

"I love you too" Anya stopped breathing for a second as she processed what he had just said almost astounded that the words had even left his mouth, and she held his hand tighter to show that she had heard him. "Goodnight" He added quietly and after a little while both of them fell asleep.

**AN: Finished, I hope you liked it, I particularly liked how it finished as I think its quite sweet :3 But anyway, let me know on your thoughts and any improvements I can make for future pieces. Thanks for Reading :D**


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